River Region Quarterback Club announces its second season of speakers
Antonio Langham will be one of the scheduled speakers for the second season of the River Region Quarterback Club, which begins meeting on Sept. 2. (File Photo)
By TIM GAYLE
The River Region Quarterback Club returns for its second season with a new group of speakers and a new head coach.
The River Region Quarterback Club, a rebranded model of the Montgomery Quarterback Club, changed its format last year by meeting every other Tuesday morning at Huntingdon College’s Julia Russell Dining Hall.
The revival of the Quarterback Club was spearheaded by Karl Stegall, who secured the meeting place and lined up the speakers. This year, Stegall will be sitting in the background after handing off “head coach” duties to Sam Johnson.
“I told Karl ‘no’ three times and he still nominated me and I got elected over my objections,” said Johnson, who had served two terms as head coach in the Montgomery Quarterback Club. “We were pleasantly surprised -- Karl did everything last year -- that we were able to pull it off.
“On the surface, there won’t be any major differences. We’re trying to improve it, we’re trying to expand membership not only in head count but trying to get a younger membership. We’re going to tweak a few things, but fundamentally nothing is changing.”
The group will meet every other Tuesday at 8 a.m., beginning on the first Tuesday of September.
“It’s a little different in that last year we were a little vague,” Johnson said. “Breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m. The program starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 9 a.m.
“We feel very good about our speakers. We’re very fortunate. One of the things, though, is because we had a lot of Montgomery speakers last year, we’re having to reach out and get speakers that are farther away.”
The meeting dates and speakers for the 2025 season include:
Sept. 2 -- Former Auburn wide receiver Thom Gossom, the first black athlete in Southeastern Conference history to walk on, earn a scholarship and graduate. He was a three-year starter in 1972-74.
Sept. 16 -- Auburn athletic director John Cohen, a Tuscaloosa native who played baseball at Mississippi State in the late 1980s, was head baseball coach at Northwestern State, Kentucky and Mississippi State and athletic director at Mississippi State (2016-22) and Auburn (2022-present).
Sept. 30 -- A member of the Quarterback Club who lives in Montgomery, Chet Moeller was an All-American defensive back at Navy in 1975 who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and had his jersey retired by Navy in 2021.
Oct. 14 -- Former Birmingham News columnist Kevin Scarbinsky, who now writes a column for Al.com and serves as a broadcast analyst for high school championship games in football and state tournament games in basketball.
Oct. 28 -- Former NCAA official Steve Shaw, who worked in Division II for six years and the Southeastern Conference for 15 years, before earning a promotion to SEC coordinator of officials (2011-19), Sun Belt coordinator of officials (2014-19) and finally to national coordinator of officials (2019-present).
Nov. 11 -- Former Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle, a record-setting quarterback at Westbrook Christian and at Alabama before spending five years with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. Croyle is now the CEO of the Big Oak Ranch, founded by his father John.
Nov. 25 -- The annual “Iron Bowl” meeting returns, featuring two former teammates at Jeff Davis, Auburn quarterback Charlie Trotman and Alabama guard Mike Brock.
Dec. 9 -- Former Alabama All-American cornerback Antonio Langham, who spent seven years in the National Football League and has spent the last decade providing his help at various high schools in the Birmingham area, coaching high school defensive backs.
The Quarterback Club will hold its annual awards banquet on Jan. 27, honoring local high school coaches and players for their performances in the 2025 football season. The featured speaker will be former Tennessee offensive coordinator and Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe.
As Johnson noted, the Quarterback Club wants younger members in the organization and hopes to attract some of those potential members through social media.
“We’re trying to get a social media presence this year,” he said. “We’re going to make some strides in that area but we’ve got other ideas for next year as we continue to grow this.”
Individual memberships start at $150. Members may bring a guest for free, but all participants must pay $10 for their breakfast. The Quarterback Club is also actively seeking sponsorships from area businesses and individuals.
For more information or to join the River Region Quarterback Club, call Johnson at (334) 322-5783.